Srinagar, April 16 -- Kashmir is raising a generation that eats more and gains less.

Doctors in Srinagar report a gradual rise in overweight schoolchildren, even as iron and vitamin deficiencies remain widespread.

Recent national survey data show that more than a third of children in Jammu and Kashmir face anaemia. Pediatricians now flag vitamin D deficiency in a large share of urban children.

These trends move in the same direction and point to a deeper problem.

Daily diets have changed fast. Packaged snacks, fried street food, and sweetened drinks now fill lunch boxes and school bags. Traditional meals of vegetables, lentils, and home-cooked grains appear less often. Parents juggle long work hours and turn to convenience foods that ...